Deconstructing Glimpses of world history an analysis of Jawaharlal Nehru's letters to his daughter /

by Langford, Michele L.

Abstract (Summary)

DECONSTRUCTING GLIMPSES OF WORLD HISTORY: AN ANALYSIS OF
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU'S LETTERS TO HIS DAUGHTER
by Michele L Langford
This paper deconstructs Jawaharlal Nehru's extensive account of world history in the
form of letters to his daughter, Indira. First published in 1934, Glimpses of World History
remains an important resource in understanding the formative years of Nehru's
perspective of world history and world politics. An analysis of Nehru's text contributes to
growing field of scholarship concerned with the uses and approaches to world history. In
addition, an analysis of influences on Nehru's construction of world history questions the
traditional view that only British perspectives informed Nehru's ideas about the world. In
conclusion, this paper suggests that Nehru's world history served as the premise to his
key foreign policy initiative, nonalignment, once Nehru became prime minister of India
in 1947.